Cards win crossover game

March 04, 2002|By Dominick Miller

The Cards were up three, 44-41, with a little over two minutes showing on the clock. The team in the red-and-white uniforms had been doing an effective job of denying the Warriors good shots at the basket throughout most of the game, but Forest Area's Richie Smith was able to get a decent look from long distance and can a 3-pointer to tie the game up.

The game still tied with less than 20 seconds remaining and Johannesburg-Lewiston in possession of the ball. Versatile junior guard/forward Kip Sundberg drove to the hoop and was able to draw the foul. The junior nailed the first freebie, but couldn't convert on the second. Holding the slim one-point lead, the Cardinals were able to fight off a frenzied Forest Area attack and preserve the win.

The win improved the Cards' record to 5-9 in the conference and 6-13 overall. Forest Area dropped to 2-12 and 4-16. The win locks up fourth place for the Cardinals in the Ski Valley North Division.

Advertisement

"With those kids gone (Krovchuk, Long), we aren't that tall, but we're quick," J-L coach Dwight Walker said. "Kip did a good job in the post. He'll be down there next year.

"Probably a little more than he would like," Walker added with a chuckle.

Senior center Skip Berry and senior guard Moses Tucker got the start with Krovchuk and Long missing, and they did a good job, according to Walker.

The game started off as a defensive battle, with neither team able to generate much offense or build much of a lead. Forest Area led 8-6 after the first quarter.

The teams opened up a bit in the second quarter. Paced by a couple of quick buckets from junior forward Tom Tatum and a pretty 3-pointer from junior guard Dave Dipzinski, Joburg went up 15-11 halfway through the quarter. The Warriors were not to be denied, however. The visitors in green went on a 10-0 run, which gave them a six-point lead, 21-15 The run was finally halted when Dipzinski completed a three-point play. Each team would add another bucket, and Forest Area would go into halftime up 23-20.

The Cardinals came out of the blocks strong in the second half, ripping off 10 unanswered points. Dipzinski and Sundberg both hit a couple of shots in the run, and Berry also connected on a layup. Forest Area would not allow Joburg to run away with the game, however. Paced by strong play from Smith and Kenny Denike, the Warriors were able to cut the lead to two heading into the final quarter.

Berry started the quarter by grabbing an offensive board and putting the ball back up and in, giving Joburg a 38-34 lead. Forest Area continued to threaten and nip at Joburg's heels all the way to the final buzzer, but the Cards had an answer every time.

"We missed a few layups towards the end there, but we made the one to give us the lead," Walker commented.

For the game, Dipzinski was the leading scorer with 14 points. Sundberg connected for 13, while Berry poured in 10. Berry also had 10 boards, and Dipzinski dished out four assists. Leading Forest Area was Smith with 13 and Denike with 10.

The JV team, coached by Brian Samkowiak, won its game by a 66-52 margin to improve to 12-7. Dependable post player Jamie Thomas, who has scored more than 250 points this season, tallied 21 points to pace the Cards, while Matt Sodt had 15 and Will Kinney hit for nine.

The Cardinals finished the regular season at Atlanta last night. They open play in the Class C, District 90 tourney at Rogers City on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Inland Lakes.